X-Ray Guided Major Joint Injection

Helping the Residents of South Central Missouri and North Central Arkansas

Joint pain felt in the shoulders, knees, and hips is an exceedingly frequent
complaint and can be caused by any number of factors. These include rheumatoid
arthritis, torn ligaments or cartilage, natural wear and tear, osteoarthritis,
and previous surgery. Some patients decide they do not want surgery or
are not good candidates for surgical correction. Oftentimes, anti-inflammatory
medication is not enough to limit the pain and it can become debilitating
over time. An x-ray guided major joint injection could potentially relieve
some or all of the joint pain, allowing the patient to live a healthier,
more active, and happier lifestyle. If effective enough, the injection
could even potentially erase the need for surgery.

Several medical conditions that are commonly treated using x-ray guided
major joint injections are:

Post-surgery pains

Rheumatoid arthritis

Osteoarthritis

Any kind of chronic joint pain

Bursitis – caused by inflammation of bursa around joints and tendons

The Procedure

On the day of your scheduled procedure, please arrive at least 20 minutes
prior to the start of your appointment. Our highly trained nurses will
begin an IV if you will want sedation and then they will conduct a nurse
pre-operation assessment. Shortly afterwards you will be taken to the
procedure room and directed to lay down on the hospital bed. Once you
are situated, the nurses will give you nitrous oxide gas and sedation
in order to make you more comfortable. At this point in the procedure,
we place a cold cleaning solution on all our patients to lessen the risk
of infection. Then, using x-ray guidance, your skilled doctor will identify
the procedure site and place a tiny needle into the affected joint. Contrast
dye will be injected through the needle to confirm that the needle was
properly placed. Finally, medication comprised of steroid and numbing
medicine will be injected directly into the affected joint. We will then
remove the needle and take you to a recovery room.

What to Expect Afterwards

There are no real limits or restrictions on what you can do following the
procedure since it is minimally invasive and safe. You are encouraged
to actively engage the medicated joint in order to spread the medication
around the affected area. Most patients report feeling immediate pain
relief and improved joint functionality but others may not feel the full
effects of the medication until three to five days after the procedure.
The effects of the injection can last anywhere from a couple weeks up
to several months. This safe and effective procedure is repeatable for
patients that need long term pain relief but the injections need to be
conducted at three month intervals to avoid excessive steroid administration.

To learn more about x-ray guided major joint injections, please call Interventional
Pain Management, a department of BRMC, at (870) 508-5900.